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How thirsty trees pull water to their canopies

Water can be pulled up to as much as 45 feet — well above the barometric limit — overturning the theory proposed by seventeenth century Italian physicist and mathematician Evangelista Torricelli which has stood for the last 400 years.

Breakthrough discovery reveals how thirsty trees pull water to their canopies

Source: University of Leicester

Summary: A scientific mystery about how trees pull water from the ground to their top branches has been solved by an international team of scientists. The researchers have discovered that water can in fact be held in a vacuum for almost indefinite periods of time and even under significant tension without forming bubbles or breaking apart, which helps to explain how trees siphon water to their highest points.